Online dating: Match.com guarantees users will find love if they use their site
Match.com will screen users against a sex offender database after a female rape victim blamed the singles website for her attack.
The woman, named in a lawsuit as Jane Doe, called for the change after she was allegedly sexually assaulted after a second date at a West Hollywood cafe by Alan Paul Wurtzel, whom she met through the site.
Site president Mandy Ginsberg said the company had considered such screenings for years, but 'their historical unreliability has always led us to conclude against it.'
Ginsberg said after talking to providers and advisers the last few days, company officials decided to make a change.
She added: 'We've been advised that a combination of improved technology and an improved database now enables a sufficient degree of accuracy to move forward with this initiative, despite its continued imperfection.'
Ms Doe, described as as an Ivy League graduate who works in film and television, claimed the attack could have been prevented with a proper background check and demanded that Match.com start screening for sexual predators.
She met her her alleged assailant, Alan Paul Wurtzel, last year at a cafe in West Hollywood.
She said he seemed charming and so agreed to see him again. After the second date, however, he allegedly followed her home and forced himself on her.
Claims: Alan Paul Wurtzel allegedly raped a woman after a second date at a Hollywood cafe who he met through match.com
Mr Wurtzel's attorney has described the incident as 'a consenting sexual encounter.'
The woman said in a statement through her lawyer: 'This horrific ordeal completely blindsided me because I had considered myself savvy about online dating safety.
'Things quickly turned into a nightmare, beyond my control.'
She claimed she later learned that he had been convicted of several counts of sexual battery.
Charges are pending in the Match.com case.
The company said its move to screen users was already being considered and did not come in direct response to the lawsuit, but the timing of the decision was accelerated by the attention the suit brought, Match.com spokesman Matthew Traub said.
Ginsberg said the company's new policy was no substitute for subscribers remaining vigilant on dates.
'We want to stress that while these checks may help in certain instances, they remain highly flawed, and it is critical that this effort does not provide a false sense of security to our members.'
The company offers several safety tips to its users, including always meeting for the first time in public, telling a friend or family member where the date will take place, and staying sober.
Match said it expected to be able to implement the policy was in 60 to 90 days.
The Dallas-based Match.com, founded in 1995, is owned by Internet consumer company IAC/InterActiveCorp, whose dating division also includes Chemistry.com and the recently acquired OKCupid.
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